


Something Stranger

by hollowsof



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Percico - Freeform, The au where nico and percy end up together and basically nothing else changes, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8485603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollowsof/pseuds/hollowsof
Summary: Percy and Nico have been through a lot, to put it lightly. Now the two of them must face their most challenging quest and dangers yet. The road to a domestic relationship.





	1. step I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shacra_MoonFox31](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shacra_MoonFox31/gifts).



Nico Di Angelo celebrated his birthday on the day the Greeks and Romans came together to defend their ways of life. It was the day the connection between the God's Greek and Roman aspects made peace, and also the day Nico found peace for himself, within himself. It was the day that he had made friends.

It was months later that he decided this made him fifteen. For how long he had been alive, it messed with his head, and this solution was easy for him. It made sense to him, even if it didn't make sense to anyone else.

It was the middle of the night when he, feeling numb and alone, ventured from camp. His friends were too intrigued by the presence of Apollo, and had barely time for anything else. Especially now that their friends were rescued, and the Grove of Dodonia had been saved. They were celebrating. No offense to anyone, but Nico didn't like parties.

That was how he ended up shadow traveling through New York to end up at one Jackson residence, the tiny apartment he had visited maybe three times before. He smiled at the thought of the older boy inside. He was probably tangled in his sheets right now, stuck in deep slumber. He had pushed his shirt off of his body and let it fall to the ground. The night was hot. His hair was mussed, a combination of sweat and movement creating the awful bedhead he always seemed to have, upon waking up. Nico souls crawl in next to, would wrap his skinny arms around-

The apartment door opened. Percy Jackson, tall and athletic with that notorious bedhead stood in his swim team hoodie and a pair of blue boxers. He was rubbing sleep out of his eyes and the impression of the spiral from a notebook was decorating his head.

"Nico? How did you get past the security door?" He asked, tiredly. Percy had most definitely just woken up.

"The shadows, Jackson. Remember?"

"Right."

They stood there in awkward silence, assessing the each other. When they finally spoke, both their words came crashing out at the same time.

"Is camp okay?" -Percy

"I need help with something."-Nico

More awkward silence.

"Camp is okay." Nico announces. "But I'm one bit of a spot."

"Um." Percy bites his lip, his heart stuck in two places, thinking of his friends and his place in college and everything that empowered the decisions he'd been making over the past few months.

"Don't worry, Jackson." Nico says, pushing past Percy into the apartment, "This is a monster free mission."

"O...Kay."

Percy follows Nico like a lost dog-in his own house!- all the way into the bathroom.

"Sally cuts your hair, doesn't she?" He asks, shuffling through the cabinet behind the mirror.

"Um, yeah. Do you...I thought you..."

Nico pulled out the buzzers and the pair of orange plastic scissors he'd been looking for.

"Cut my hair, Jackson. The length is getting irritating. Cut it...like yours."

"Okay." Percy agrees.

He lead Nico to the bathtub, and instructs him to sit down before placing himself on the ledge behind.

"So you want an undercut? Like I've got? You're sure?"

"Yes, Percy. Swear on the Styx, I am sure."

Percy's eyebrows raise before he mutters another "okay.." and sets to work. He starts by trimming it, just a bit to make sure the razor doesn't yank on his hair too hard.

Nico's hair is soft to the touch, like downed feather, and he runs his fingers through it, wondering if the boy notices.

If he does, he says nothing.

Nico is completely relaxed.

The process takes a lot more time than either anticipated. Especially since Percy didn't have a lot of experience doing this sort of thing. He works carefully, and even more carefully when he plugs in the buzzers and starts shaving.

Nico's heart is hammering. He imagines it going as fast as the buzzer shakes, rocking even harder with every time Percy caresses his scalp. It's on purpose, he can tell, the way the older boy's long fingers glide through the hair left on the top of his head.

When Percy finishes, he brushes away the loose hairs, and then cleans up Nico's neck with a cold wet towel, moving it slow across his skin.

Nico inhales sharply, his face turning bright red, and he squirms.

"I think I'm good now." He says, shooting up and out of the tub.

Percy, wide eyed, climbs out himself, and puts the buzzers back in the cabinet. "Okay." He whispers quietly. "Okay."

The two boys cleaned up, removing all the hair and putting it in the small bathroom waste basket, save for one lock, which Percy had unceremoniously stuffed in his pocket when Nico hadn't been looking.

When the bathroom was all done and spotless, Percy led Nico to his room, and then out the window and onto the fire escape. The scene was all too familiar.

"Different fire escape." Nico says, running a hand along the half rusted metal railing.

"Same boys." Percy adds, looking at Nico. He was staring off at the street below, face half covered by shadows. He was afraid that Nico might disappear at any moment.

"No. We are much different now, Percy." Nico says, slowly, thinking. "We've both been through hell. Quite literally and figuratively." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I am almost...a new person entirely. I have...friends. I have...hope."

"You have a home." Percy's still staring at him, not for the first time wondering how such a small boy could hold so much darkness.

"I needed a change. I needed to look in the mirror and physically see that I was a different person."

"Hence the haircut."

"Hence the haircut."

They both stood quiet again. In peace. They watched Calypso's moonlace thrive, and spent the next hour and a half pointing out the stars, trying to figure out which way their deceased friends were wondering in the sky.

"Thank you, Percy. I..."

"You don't have to say anything. I know."

Nico was looking at the older boy now, and they both had shifted, to face each other. Without hesitation, and before he could back out, Nico leaned into his tiptoes and pressed his lips against Percy's.

"Goodnight, Jackson."

And with that, he phased into the shadows, leaving Percy stunned into frozen silence on his fire escape, touching his lips with shaking fingers, wondering what that meant for now.


	2. step II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I write really short chapters. These just started out as snippets I wrote for a friend.   
> Anyway there will be more.

_Here is the problem. The incomes as stated are false. The company did not make a million dollars the first year. After three months, when x was 114, the rate of income was only & = 112. The bar graph showed fi = 1 for the whole year, but that was an overstatement. The income in three months was not more than 112 times 114, the . rate multiplied by the time._

Percy Jackson was not having a very nice time. Most seventeen year olds would argue that this night was a disaster, maybe even one the worst nights of their lives. Percy's own definition of 'worst night of my life' was definitely, well, a lot more than that. A literal walk through hell. The deaths of some of his closest friends. Awakening the evilest goddess in the universe with a nosebleed. Just to name a few candidates. 

Compared to that, this was simple. This was just calculus. Percy Jackson had slayed monsters bigger than most buildings, but could not, for the life of him, understand the math pages before him. He groans and looks at the small alarm clock on his desk. The time read about 1:30 AM. He had two tests, a swim meet, and a phone call with Jason tomorrow, and at this rate, he would be half dead by the time his blonde friend called. 

Sighing, he stretched, stood, and grabbed his team hoodie. This one man study party would require coffee. At the very least, a break and some air. Pulling on the outerwear, he grabbed his keys from the hook, and tiptoed his way to the front door. He felt guilty about not letting his mom know he was leaving, but Sally hadn't slept in a while. The pregnancy was taking a lot from her, and he wasn't going to wake her up over something as simple as walking down the block to the corner store. 

The cold outside air hit his face and a shiver ran down his spine. It was still summer of course, but the nights were sometimes freezing still. He pulled his hood up and crossed his arms, walking quickly. He could feel Riptide in it's pen form thumping against his thigh through his shorts, keeping pace with his steps. It was always a comfort to know that it was always there for him. 

He made the walk to the store in about ten minutes- not bad at all. Hopefully his mom would still be asleep by the time he crept in through the door. He entered the store, waving at the two tired looking workers standing behind the counter. They waved back, one offering a tired 'Morning, Percy.' After seeing almost every day at many odd hours, it was only natural that they knew him by name. 

It was no fancy coffee shop, there was no cappuccino machine, and the most impressive thing about the coffee setup was the seemingly never ending supply mini marshmallows provided for the hot chocolate drinkers. It was, however, the best damn coffee in New York. Percy Jackson was prepared to fight for this claim.   
He grabbed a cup and filled it almost to the brim with their original blend before fighting the dome shaped lid onto the cup, the steam winding up towards his face, and making him shudder. When he's finished, he heads to the counter. 

"How much do I owe you?" He asks, leaning against the counter, with a smile. The clerk with green hair, thick thighs, and a million freckles smiles at him. Her name is Chelsea and   
she's human and she makes Percy feel human just right about when he starts to feel overwhelmed. After realizing what Rachel had once done for him, he took it as a sign to reach out. Thus people like Chelsea at the corner store, a guy named Dylan who practically lived at the skate park and was always stressed about trivial things, Hollyanne who worked as a receptionist at a frequently busy hotel, etc. They were some pretty great people. 

"Just take it." Chelsea said with a sigh. "If you're here at almost two in the morning, you must be having a bad night. At least you're not covered in bruises and cuts this time." 

"Yeah, uh, haven't run into any 'bad guys' in a while." He says, thinking about all the times he had come in all beat up, and all the stories he'd told to explain them away. Constantly being jumped wasn't exactly a lie, it just usually wasn't done by New York city thugs with nothing better to do. 

"So, any luck rekindling things with the old girlfriend? I know you said you guys went through a lot together..." 

"Actually, no. I, um." The mention of Annabeth usually made Percy's heart swell tight and pained with longing. Since Tartarus, that awful near death spell, they couldn't look at each other the same. When they returned, they had been distant. After about a month and a half, they called it quits. Annabeth went off the Boston to reconnect with her family, promising friendship when she arrived back home to camp. Since, however, Nico Di Angelo had stopped by his apartment and kissed him next to the moonlace, these cold and painful Annabeth related thoughts seemed to dwindle. "I think I've met someone, um, new. Well. Someone old. I mean. I-"   
Percy could feel his ears turning red, his face burning. 

"I understand what you're trying to say, don't worry." Chelsea grinned. "What you can do is tell me about this new someone!" 

"Well, he's just a couple years younger than me. Not um, like creepy younger, you know?" 

At this point, Chelsea is nodding her head vigorously, excited that something good might be happening finally for this kid's love life. 

"He's kind of, um, like an emo kid? I've known him for a long time. He's really cute. I really never knew this would've happened between us, but... I guess I'm excited. I'm already liking him a lot, you know he's-" 

"Standing right behind you Perseus Jackson." 

Percy jumped, his ears turning even redder. He swiveled around so quickly he almost slipped on the tiles beneath his sandal-ed feet. Nico had to grab hold of him by his hoodie to keep him upright. 

"Nice, Jackson." He greets, with a rare crooked smile. It was several moments of staring before Nico had even realized how long he had been holding onto the hoodie. He was torn for a moment between pulling him closer and kissing him again, or letting go. Thinking it over, Nico really didn't know how Percy felt, or how committed he would be to this, or if he wanted anything to do with it, or with him for that matter. Finally, he decided on letting go. He took a step back and started to smooth down the wrinkles in the hoodie, where he had grabbed it. Not a second later had Percy invaded his space, wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, and pulled him close. 

"You scared the shit out of me, I hope you know. It's like you just jumped out of the shadows." Percy replied with a wink. 

"Shadows in this store? I think not. Not under this fluorescence." Chelsea laughs. 

Percy spins them and releases Nico from his death grip. 

"Nico, Chelsea, Chelsea, Nico." 

"You two are so cute." Chelsea notes, with a smile. "Percy was just telling me all about you Nico. It's so surprising, I wasn't expecting to meet you this soon, but you know, glad I did." 

Nico nods at her. 

"It's nice to meet you, too, but if you don't mind, I need to steal my b- uh- my boy Percy here away. I'm sure he'll be back for more coffee in no time." 

As Nico dragged Percy out of the store, almost making him forget his coffee, Chelsea waved them off. 

"Have fun you two!" She calls. 

Percy chuckles as Nico brings him outside, back into the cold air, and the dark where Nico instantly felt more comfortable. How easy it would be right now, if things turned horrible, to sink into the shadows and never lay eyes on Percy Jackson again. 

"I think you know that we need to talk. About the last time I came to visit you." Nico said as they took off walking, back in the direction of Percy's apartment. 

"First of all." Percy states, swinging the conversation to a much more casual start off. "How did you even know where I was." 

"Are you kidding?" Nico asks, with a raised brow. "Sally was up making tea when I got to your apartment. She said this was where you probably were. She also said if you weren't back soon, she would hunt you down herself, kill you, and bury you in the community garden where you would not touch another drop of water as long as she lived."   
Percy paled. "I'm dead, I'm so dead." 

A male just a bit younger than Percy had been running by. He had long blonde hair, and an extremely fit body, and was decked out in a weirdly good but different style of clothing. 

"You have no idea what you're talking about." He ranted in his hurry. 

Neither of the boys even saw his face, but Percy could have sworn that accent was Bostonian. 

"Odd. Anyway, Percy, I really wanted to talk to you." Nico implores, a more serious tone in his voice now. "About the kiss." 

Percy takes a deep breath and nods. 

"You're probably right." 

"I'm no Annabeth, Percy." He states, swallowing his anxieties, once and for all, and telling Percy what he had been wanting to tell him for years now. "But I-" 

"Stop." Percy interrupted, stopping them physically as well. 

He turned, staring down into Nico's dark eyes. 

"I don't know what I want. I don't know if we'll work out or if this is a good idea. Or even how the Gods would react to us. But that kiss was really good. That kiss was... I liked it. I want more of them. I-" 

Nico stood on his tiptoes, and pulled Percy downward into a kiss. A kiss much more deep and rough than the last he had gifted to the son of Posiedon. Compared, that was a peck. This was...not more meaningful, but the meaning was different. 

And this time, Nico didn't disappear.


	3. Chapter 3

"Percy is a great kid. Yeah I know he's only a couple years younger than me. So what. He comes in, buys our coffee at least three times a day on a good night. I think he's studying really hard for some school, you know how hard those can be to get into. His love life? Well, I met Nico." Chelsea pauses to put her green hair into a bun, the store getting increasingly hotter to keep up with the drop in temperatures outside. "He's a cute kid. I hope stuff works out for them both. Percy needs someone like that. Ah, I wonder if they'll   
come get hot chocolate here together sometime. You know, I think they'll make a cute couple." 

\-- 

Dylan, presenting himself with his classic long dark hair pulled into a ponytail and his customary ripped/baggy jeans, scratches his head. 

"I met Annn....Anna... I met his ex-girlfriend a couple of times." He thinks to himself. His eyes are bloodshot and you could only guess for what reason. He chuckles. "She was a cutie. And I met that new one. Nic...He was a cutie, too. That kid's got mad game. Probably cause he can skateboard. And you know who taught him to skateboard? Yeeeaahh, me, that's right." He shoots a duouble thumbs up at the camera. 

\-- 

"Oh yes." Her name is Glenda. She's eighty years old and resides at Precious Patients nursing home, and she had grown very fond of young Percy Jackson. "It was about August   
when I met little Percy. He was one of the 'troubled kids' we take in for community service." 

"And, Miss Glenda, could you tell us more about how you and Percy bonded?" 

She laughs hard, her face in such an amused state, she hasn't been this humored about anything in so very long. 

"They put the most troubled kids with the most troubled of us!" She exclaims. 

[Sally Jackson-Blofis, who had been recording this session so far, laughs discreetly, the camera shaking just a little bit.] 

"And how did you react when Percy had first come out to you as bisexual?" 

Glenda smiles with such joy at this question. 

"I said, who knows! Maybe I am, too! We're both bisexual!" 

\-- 

"This is Leo Valdez, president of the Leo Valdez fan club! Thanks for checkin' in on ya boy today! In this episode of _Leo's World_ we'll be interviewing attendees of camp Half Blood in place of one Mrs. Blofis about her one and only son, hero of Olympus, veteran of camp, and nosebleeder extraordinaire, Perseus Jackson!" 

Leo's excited face can be shown coming in and out of view of the camera, which was old and you couldn't see the screen if you were pointing it at yourself, which Leo happened to be doing. 

"We're starting off with your fave today, moi! Percy Jackson has been a good friend to me, to all of us! I look up to him, but only because he's super taller than me. Ha! Get it! Well, anyway, I love Percy and I hope he's having a good time studying for all those tests right now! Keep ya head up boooooy!" 

Leo spins the camera around, quickly now, showing the interior of cabin 9, trinkets strown about, and everyone's evolved beds in their various states of being. No one is there, but that's assumably because Leo's sisters and brothers were off in the previously secret workshop. 

"Alright, let's go." 

Off screen, Leo stands up from his own bed, heading outside the door, and giving a slow, panoramic spin, so that one who might miss the camp incredibly can view it in all of it's glory. Leo takes off running. The first people he spots are Piper and Jason, sitting all gross and lovey dovey like by the lake. 

"Here we have one Jason Grace and one Piper McLean sitting all gross and lovey dovey like by the lake." Leo announces. He speed walks as quietly as possible, approaching them from behind without them noticing much. They're far too caught up with each other. 

"Jason! Piper!" He shouts, once he's snuck up behind him. The two jump about a mile apart looking up at the Valdez boy in shock. 

"Leo!" Piper snaps, face turning red. "What are you doing?" 

Jason is busy grappling for words, his own blush forming, but he can't seem to think up a practical sentence. 

"Chill guys! I'm doing this for Percy's mom." He explains, shaking the camera a bit as a gesture. 

"We're making a video about why we love Percy. Just a little going away present for him. No one's allowed to say anything until he goes off either." 

"Then maybe putting you in charge of filming wasn't such a good idea." Jason says, snickering. 

"Shut up, Jason, you're the one that can't kiss his girlfriend without completely forgetting how to speak." 

Leo laughs hard, with Piper jumping much to Jason's surprise. The blonde glares at his girlfriend, face brightening red once again. 

"Just get back to the point of the video, Valdez." 

"Right, so basically we're just telling Percy how much we love him and stuff. Whatever you want to tell him, so he can watch when he misses us all." 

Jason nods, before jumping in. 

"Hey Percy!" He greets the camera. "If someone doesn't edit this video there are going to be problems." 

Piper shoves Jason, just a little bit. 

"Oh relax. Hi Percy! Don't you miss us too much! We'll be visiting you at New Rome very soon!" She says with a small laugh. "Jason and I both love you and hope you're not struggling too hard with these tests!" 

"Love ya, man. Call me when you get settled in, okay?" 

\-- 

"Hey buddy!" Grover's smiling face announces. Leo had saved Percy's best friend for last, opting for a big surprise. Grover, newly proclaimed God Of The Wild, had not been around   
camp very often. He still missed Percy lots, and the fact that he got to be a part of this video meant a lot to him. "I love you, man! Remember, there's not quite anyone that can blow national monuments like you! Remember that during those stupid tests! Oh! And I just checked in with Annabeth! She's doing fine in Boston." A look of discomfort crosses his face, just for a second. "She sends her well wishes, as always." 

\-- 

"We've got one more person left, Perc." Sally's voice announces, as she guides the camera into the living room. Sitting on the couch was Nico, with his newly shaved undercut, hands clasped in his lap. 

"Here you go, Nico. Just come let me know when you're done." 

Off screen, Sally hands the camera to Nico, making it shake just a little. She can be heard leaving the room, before Nico adjusts the camera, showing his face in a much more   
clearer view. 

"Hey, Percy." He starts, with a half smile. "First of all, I'm really happy to be a part of this. I know..." He takes a deep breath. "I know this is all really new. I figure, though, you won't be seeing this video for a couple more months from now anyway, and I definitely want you to know by then. Percy, I... I love you. I've been in love with you for a very long time, and now I can say it. It's brand new and weird and stuff, but I'm really...I'm sure. Otherwise I wouldn't be saying anything. This thing we've got... let's just say it makes me smile."   
Nico pauses. Almost nothing makes him smile. It seems, though, that Percy's got him smiling all the time. 

"Don't think you won't be seeing me in New Rome, either. I'm still the 'Ambassador of Pluto' after all." 

Nico shuts off the camera.


End file.
